Within The Shadow
by Crazy Jack
Summary: They defeated Aizen. They stole the Hogyoku back. But despite all that, she still had one more task. "I promised I'd come back for you, Ashido." A Ruk/Ash pairing, seeing as there are so few. Complete.
1. A Promise

Okay, so I said I'd hold off on this story, but it's haunting me, and I need to write it!

**Summary: **They defeated Aizen. They stole the Hogyoku back. But despite all that, she still had one more task. "I promised I'd come back for you, Ashido."

**Pairing: **Rukia/ Ashido, with other little triangles thrown in there.

If any characters seem OOC, I apologize in advance.

Ooh, and before I forget, **I DO NOT OWN BLEACH OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS.** Just had to make that clear. Hehe, trust me, you would know if I did.

Enjoy!  
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Her breathing came shallow, and her eyes watched, thick with distress. Above her, swords clashed as the crushing spirit pressure of two Soul Reapers bore down on her.

But she didn't notice. Her eyes were trained on that man's face, as blood dripped down his body like a second coat of skin. His orange hair fluctuated against his face as he swung that giant sword like it extended from his own body.

Her hands grasped her sword tighter, wishing she could butt him out and take down that Aizen herself. The wretched man had stolen her friend and put countless lives at risk.

She remembered her words as he had faced Aizen, challenging him to a one on one duel. She had turned to him, eyes blazing. _"Don't you dare lose, strawberry." _She had hissed.

He had smiled in returned. _"My name's not strawberry. And I'm not going to lose."_

And that had comforted her. When Ichigo swore he wasn't going to lose, he wasn't going to lose, and that was that.

He hadn't lost.

His sword plunged through Aizen's chest, then ripped out sideways. Rukia flinched. Never was he that violent, but she could understand. No chances were being taken.

They both crashed to the ground, bleeding violently. Rukia took a step forward, then realized a hand had been clamped over her shoulder, as if restricting her. She turned, and recognized the large body and crimson hair as her childhood friend.

She glared at him for a moment, until he realized his hand was still on her. He smiled, and pulled away. She responded with a small smile of her own, then she was gone.

She took her place next to Ichigo's torn body. He had managed a huge cut above his eyes, and lacerations all over his chest and back.

When he saw her suddenly next to him, he smiled. "You see?" He croaked, trying not to cough up blood. "I told you I'd beat him. Who's the strawberry now?"

Rukia sighed. "That's too bad."

His eyes widened, and he scowled. "What do you mean? I just beat Aizen, and you're telling me 'that's too bad?' I should take you down next."

"If you're talking like that, you mustn't have taken that bad of damage." Rukia growled, her eyes flashing with amusement, trying to mask the overwhelming sense of relief that had drenched her. "I was hoping he'd damage some brain cells, and maybe you would become a bit more relaxed."

"Why you…" Ichigo shifted, then suddenly exploded into a fit of coughs.

"I said relax." Rukia hissed, pushing Ichigo into a lying down position. "Squad Four will be here in a second to heal your wounds. So hold still. There isn't one more person you have to save, we're all fine."

She used those words as a last resort, knowing he would only relax if he was sure everybody was okay. She knew it worked when he simply nodded, without lashing back. His eyes closed, and Rukia stood. Orihime was running towards him, with Captain Unohana and Lieutenant Isane right behind her.

Orihime bent down besides the now passed out Ichigo, with concern and warmth flashing through her eyes. Unohana approached slowly, her eyes calm.

"Don't worry." She addressed both Orihime and Rukia, who now realized she had been clutching her robes so hard her knuckles were white. "Isane, help Orihime. With you two working on him, he probably won't even have to be put in recuperation. I'm going to work on the other severely wounded."

Rukia forced herself to relax as Unohana strode by. She breathed in, trying to capture the Captain's calm. She was right, Orihime and Isane could heal any wound.

She watched at first as the yellow light enveloped him. She shut her eyes halfway, then decided she was useless here. Orihime would make sure he survived.

Rukia turned, admiring her surroundings. Blood spattered the stone walls, and the injured were being treated. She had to concentrate on not accidentally slipping in a pool of blood.

She looked for her familiar friends. Chad and Uryu were sitting next to each other. Nobody was near them, but they didn't really look like they were in pain. Just tired and a bit dazed.

Rukia realized she felt the same, as if she could curl up and sleep for three days straight. She snorted. As if her brother would let her do that…

Her thoughts cut off and alarm scathed her brain. She whirled around, looking desperately for Captain Kuchiki. When she didn't see him, her heart jolted. Surely, the Captain of the sixth squad couldn't have been killed! Not her brother. He was…

She relaxed suddenly as the sight of his spiky black hair relieved her. She recognized his head piece, and his scarf. He wasn't looking at her, and was simply staring ahead. Rukia took a couple paces towards him, then stopped when she saw Unohana leaning down beside him. Whatever injury Byakuya had, she would heal.

"Hey." A voice cut her from her thoughts. She looked up, and scowled as Renji's grinning face looked down at her. She could almost feel one of his hot headed jokes coming on.

"You look like you just saw a ghost." He chided. When he followed her gaze to where Byakuya was sitting, his grin widened. "Were you _scared _for Captain Kuchiki? Rukia, that man probably could have torn apart Aizen without a second thought, and would have if it were you that had been captured by Aizen, instead of Orihime."

Rukia scoffed. "You'd think that. He would probably send you off and not think twice about it."

Renji's grin suddenly deepened into a thoughtful line as he studied the shorter girl.

"Don't sell your brother short, Rukia." He reprimanded. "You're probably the only person Captain Kuchiki would fight for."

"My brother would fight for a lot of things!" Rukia growled. "He'd fight for what he believes is right."

Renji smirked, and patted Rukia on the head, mussing her hair. "You stupid girl." He teased.

Rukia glared at him, then delivered a kick to his chin. He yelped as he dropped to the floor, grabbing his chin. Why did the tiny girl have to hit so hard?

"All I was going to say was, if you were listening properly, you would have remembered me saying that you were the only _person _Byakuya would fight for. I said nothing about the laws."

Rukia blinked, refusing to blush. She glanced at her brother, wondering if what Renji said was true.

"Oi, Rukia!" A voice suddenly called out. The girl turned to see the man who had been lying on the floor just a while ago now jogging towards her.

"Hey, it's carrot-top." Renji greeted Ichigo, who had now halted beside Rukia. He glared at the crimson haired man.

"I just killed Aizen, and what do I get? A smart ass remark! I think Orihime is the only one who has actually thanked me." He steamed.

"You should be thankful." Renji retorted. "People say things they have known for a long time are comforting. And since you've always been called that, I would think it would have been a nice gesture."

"Nice gesture my ass." Ichigo muttered.

Rukia sighed. "Oh shut up, both of you. Seriously, you guys sound like an old married couple. It's disgusting."

Both the men glared at her, but before they could say anything, a cold voice interrupted them.

"Well, it seems you're having fun. Meanwhile, people are dying of their injuries."

They turned their gazes, to see Byakuya glaring at them, eyes hard. Renji gulped.

"Um… yeah." He stammered. "I was just going to help. I'm right on it, Captain Kuchiki."

Byakuya didn't utter a sound as Renji skidded away as quickly as possible. Rukia blinked after him in annoyance. He didn't even say goodbye.

Byakuya turned back to Rukia and Ichigo. "As for you two." He began. "The healed soldiers are going to be leaving soon. I suggest you join them."

"We will, brother." Rukia spoke, giving Ichigo a death glare. Ichigo blinked back at her, and made a mental sigh. He knew that look of determination.

Byakuya didn't reply as he walked away. They hadn't thought so, but Byakuya noticed the fire in Rukia's eyes as well as anybody else. Well, he wouldn't intervene.

_If she gets hurt, Kurosaki, I'll destroy you. _He growled mentally. Ichigo didn't hear him, but he could have sworn the older Kuchiki was sending him a look of pure evil.

Rukia had her eyes narrowed as she watched her brother walk away. She felt Ichigo's curious eyes on her, and tried to will him to just go away. Maybe if she tried acting as if nothing was happening, he wouldn't question her, and he would believe her.

_Yeah, when hell freezes over._ She muttered mutinously to herself. She knew Ichigo Kurosaki, and no man could be more persistent than him. Sometimes, it was useful, and sometimes she just wanted to smack him. Of course, she did that anyway.

"Alright, I'll bite. What are you planning?" Ichigo's voice broke into her thoughts, as he attempted to stare holes through her brain.

"What makes you think I'm planning something?" Rukia retorted, glaring at him.

Ichigo snorted. "Give me a break. I know that look."

Rukia almost asked _what look? _But knew that was useless. Besides, all she was doing was stalling herself.

"I'm going back." She said in a steely voice. Ichigo blinked in confusion.

"We're going back where?" He replied in a testy voice, trying not to get mad at how she was planning on leaving him behind.

"_I'm _going back to the Menos Forest." Rukia growled, wondering if the snarl she put on the word would get through his thick skull.

Ichigo gaped at her for a moment, briefly wondering if she was kidding. The next sound he made wasn't a word, but something in between a, "What?!" and a "Why?!"

Rukia tried not to laugh at the idiotic expression on his face. That probably wouldn't be a great idea. Judging on the spluttering noises he was making, he'd probably get pissed and scream at her, drawing everybody's attention. That wouldn't end well.

Finally, Ichigo managed to choke out an intelligible phrase. "What in the _hell _do you need to do there?"

"Want to say it a little louder?" She hissed. "I don't think all the Captains heard you."

He glared at her, but lowered his tone to a little bit over an angry whisper. "Why are you going to the Menos Forest?"

She glanced at him briefly. "Ashido." She replied softly.

Understanding crashed over him. Ashido, the maroon haired Soul Reaper who had been living in the Menos Forest for so many years. Rukia had sworn to come back for him.

He blinked at the women standing before him, eyes ablaze and hands clenched into fists. If he could have gotten away with it, he would have smashed some sense into her brain.

But, that wasn't going to happen. She was just as stubborn as Ichigo. She had set her mind to something, and it was going to happen, whether he liked it or not.

He gritted his teeth. "Alright. We'll go get Ashido. God knows the man needs to be saved." He hissed, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Rukia looked at him sharply. "And who says you get to go?" She challenged.

He gave her a platonic look, and she sighed. Knowing him, if she refused to let him come, he would probably pick her up and drag her to Byakuya. Damn Ichigo and his tallness.

"Fine." She muttered. "But we're not there to kill hollows, alright?"

"What, do you think I'm an idiot?" Ichigo snapped. Rukia rolled her eyes, letting a placid smirk be his answer.  
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First chapter, yay! Sorry if it seems kind of long and pointless, but it just needs to be done. Sorry if it seems a little weak, I'll try harder on the next chapter.

Next chapter will be done soon enough.

Please review!


	2. Happy Endings

Hehehe, okay, so it took me a few months to update this thing. Blame writer's block and my lack of internet. I swear it's not my fault.

Okay, maybe it is, but nobody asked you anyway. I don't need your sass.

Ahem. Okay. On with the show.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach in any way, shape, or form. Even if it we all fell into a parallel/opposite universe, I still wouldn't own bleach. That's how much I don't own it.

So take that, copyrighters!

Anyway, enjoy.

By the way (last note, I swear) I apologize in advance for any misspellings (such as that one. Or was that one correct? hm. If you want to let me know when you review *wink wink nudge nudge* I'd be quite alright. Wow, this note is kind of long. I didn't even capitolize hm. Anyways, I'll get back to that thing we were talking about. I bet you'll have to reread the actual sentence and then skip this. If you're not laughing right now, that sucks, because i am.) I was too tired to reread it.

* * *

Ashido never had, and never will, believe in happy endings.

Take his life for example. He lived in a Menos Forest, a breeding ground for hollows. He wore a hollow mask over his face and his house was a cave. For fun, he'd slaughter Menos Grande. All his friends were dead, and he hadn't seen the light of day in several hundred years.

Oh yeah. He was living the dream.

The only good thing that had happened to him recently was the visit of the soul reapers that had fallen out of the sky and into the grasp of eager hollows. Well, there had only been two soul reapers, one was a substitute and then the rest of the group was a bit… strange. But hey, who was he to judge? All he did know was the day Rukia Kuchiki stumbled out of the sky and visited, he found his voice. He was shocked he could still speak, despite the lack of words over the past years.

He had misjudged her at first, and he regretted ever doing that after he saw her fight. Her violet eyes were hard as diamond, and even though she was small, she wasn't petite nor was she fragile. After a while, he had discovered that, despite her looks, Rukia had lived through a lot while he was fighting in the Menos Forest. She was stronger than he had imagined.

And she had promised to come back for him. He had locked eyes with her, and didn't doubt that at all. He instinctively trusted her, and had believed her as her face disappeared behind crumbling rock.

And that was why Ashido was sprinting from tree to tree, his mouth a thin line of anxiety. He had felt the change in spiritual pressure waver in a way that he hadn't before. He realized that while he was in the Menos Forest the force of the air was… heavy. It was hard on his shoulders. When it had suddenly lifted, he felt himself inhale as if it were his first breath.

It was then he realized that whatever Rukia had been talking about before was gone. Hollows seemed to dwindle, if not in numbers than in their willingness to hunt down Ashido and kill him. And now, without those distractions, Ashido was searching for an exit he had found years ago. He wondered why he had ever really thought he needed Rukia to bring him back. She was busy with her own duties. For all he knew, she could be dead. His heart jolted at the idea. He liked the feisty little soul reaper. She was the first to find him, and had accepted what had happened with grace.

Perhaps that was why he wanted to wait for her. Because if he was to go back to the Soul Society after years of being underground, he felt he wanted someone he knew and trusted next to him. Even if he had only met her once, all his other friends had been killed.

He stopped suddenly as a different spiritual force swept over him. His feet lingered on a tree branch he was about to hop off, when a hollow's wail turned his body and belted the opposite direction, the hairs on his arm standing on end.

* * *

"Godamit!" The three word sentence blended into one barely tangible sound. Ichigo swung at the hollow's in front of him, his gigantic sword swishing loudly as he dispatched three hollows. They had just barely fallen into the forest when a gaggle of hollows turned their heads hungrily towards them.

Rukia was busy with her own problems. Four hollows thought it'd be fun to attack her at once, and red eyes glinted in the shadows as they waited hungrily. She grunted furiously as she shoved her sword through the neck of one hollow and sliced another's head off.

Ichigo snarled as a hollow's claw snagged him by his robes and threw him to the side. He barely felt anything as the back of his head snapped against the trunk of a tree. His body was used to pain. Instead, his biggest worry was the way his breath was beginning to get ragged. He had just killed Aizen, for the love of God! He wasn't quite sure what the next guy thought, but in his opinion, that was no small feat. He had hoped to get some peace and quiet, rest up in the infirmary for a few days until he returned to his own world, and instead he found that bitchy midget dragging him to the Menos Forest to find a man that could take care of himself. How in the hell did he find his way into these situations?

A hollow's scream broke into his self rant. His body propelled its way into action, sword gashing automatically and his eyes cold and hard. Ahead of him, it was clear Rukia was being overwhelmed. He could hear her breath, harsh and tired, like his. Five hollows bore down on her, which she easily killed. However, as soon as she killed one, two more took its place. She had a sudden respect for Hercules as she realized what he must have felt like when the weird snake-dragon thing kept growing back heads.

She was suddenly puzzled as something snatched her, crushing her chest. She couldn't breathe. Why were her lungs suddenly not working?

* * *

Ashido realized not a moment too soon how fast he was going and how that was about to impact him. Glad that he was agile, he twisted his foot and slowed his pace, just in time to see Rukia's small body being strangled as a large hollow used his hand to crush her body, ready to pop her into its mouth.

Ichigo's eyes widened and he flew at the hollow, his sword poised to kill. Yet, something was faster.

The orange haired man barely had time to register what was happening as a blur of black and maroon raced past his vision and pounced on the hollow. It didn't see what was happening until the last moment, when the man shoved his sword through the side of its jaw and tore it through its face. The rest of the hollows seemed to moan as Ashido caught the now unconscious Rukia. He glanced at the puzzled Ichigo, and hollered at him.

"Hurry up!" He ordered. Ichigo instantly recognized him, and flash stepped after him, surprised at how fast the man could go.

The sound of hollows began to fade into the background, but Ashido, wisely, didn't slow his pace until he reached his home. He was used to going tremendous speeds while approaching his cave. Ichigo wasn't even sure where it was, so as Ashido suddenly banked and skidded to a halt into the rock and into his cave, Ichigo nearly fell into his home, and then face planted onto the ground.

He grunted in pain, and clutched his nose, which was now bleeding profusely. He uttered a sound similar to "damn it" as he scrambled to his feet, and glanced around Ashido's "home."

A bed. A light of kido. A small rug. That was about it. (A/N: I haven't watched Bleach in awhile, so if there's more stuff in Ashido's room, sorry I missed it. )

The bed was laced with furs, which accommodated Rukia easily as Ashido set her on the bed. Ichigo forgot his pain, and stepped closer to her. Ashido leaned next to her and felt around her stomach.

"It's not bleeding." He murmured. "I don't think any of her ribs are broken." Rukia shuddered in her sleep as he touched a spot near her side. "She's bruised, but fine."

Ichigo sighed. "Stupid girl. Here for a moment and she gets hurt." Ashido glanced at Ichigo with a steely gray gaze, and narrowed his eyes. Ichigo's face was set in a scowl, but his amber eyes glimmered with relief. Ashido fought not to smirk, he knew it might peeve the orange haired man. No matter what he said, he cared for the little soul reaper.

Ashido kept his face placid as he looked at Rukia. Saying nothing, he grunted and pushed himself to the floor, and leaned his back against the wall, closing his eyes.

Ichigo glanced at the man, annoyed. "Are we just going to sit here?" He growled impatiently. Still sitting, and eyes still closed, Ashido nodded.

"We very well can't do anything until she wakes, and hollows don't come here. We might as well relax until she wakes up."

Ichigo scowled. Something about the way the man talked irritated him. He tried to push the feeling away. Ashido had saved both him and Rukia. So, he sat next to Rukia's bed, and leaned himself against the wall, closing his eyes.

* * *

His gray eyes snapped open, as if something in his brain was shaking him awake. Ashido grunted, and propped himself up. He never was able to sleep a lot when there were hollows that were always ready for a snack.

Across the room, Rukia had snuggled deep within the fur covers, while Ichigo had managed to wriggle his way from the wall until he was sprawled across the rug. Ashido sighed. He could tell he had annoyed Ichigo, but in truth, he wasn't quite sure what to say around him. It was as if anything and everything would irritate the flaming boy.

A moan of pain lifted Ashido's eyes from the floor to Rukia. She was shifting, and her eyes slipped open, while her mouth gaped into a giant yawn, as if she had just gotten her best night's sleep.

Ashido greeted her with a nod of his head, as if to say, "Hey, what's up?" Rukia blinked in surprise.

"Ashido?" She asked. "When did you get here?"

The maroon haired man lips turned into a tiny smile. "I've been here for a while." He grunted. "What are you two doing down here?"

"You would know." Rukia muttered. "That's twice you've saved me. I don't like owing other soul reapers." Her voice was quiet, but her eyes sparkled teasingly. Ashido sighed.

"If anything, I owe you, not the other way around." His voice was quiet, with a tone that seemed to end the conversation, but that didn't stop Rukia.

"I'm sorry." She suddenly murmured. "Before, I couldn't really tell you what was going on in the world above until after we dealt with it." She looked up at Ashido, who stared back, his gaze patient. With a jolt, she felt something so different. As she talked, nobody was interrupting, nor was anyone calling her an idiot midget or trying to hit her. And while Ashido's eyes were silent, they weren't cold, as her brother's were.

A few moments passed, and it was made clear that Rukia wasn't going to say anything, Ashido cleared his throat. "I don't really care." He muttered quietly. "I'm just glad you came down when you did, otherwise I don't think I would have ever convinced myself to leave."

The thing about Rukia was that she didn't blush. Only once had she blushed, and Ashido hadn't even known her yet. This wasn't an exception. Instead, she met strongly met his gaze. "I promised I'd come back for you."

Those words silenced both the awkward individuals. Rukia glanced around the room, until her eyes fastened onto Ichigo, who was beginning to snore softly. Her eyebrows creased and she scowled, but inside she was thanking him for giving her the ability to break the silence. Sensing what was about to happen, Ashido climbed to his feet and side stepped the sleeping victim, just as Rukia brought down her foot into his abdomen.

Ichigo's eyes snapped open and bulged out of his head, while his mouth made a strange sound that Ashido hadn't heard before. It started with, "stupid midget," and ended with, "ow." Either way, it was extremely entertaining.

After Ichigo had recovered, he turned his flaming gaze to Rukia. "I don't know what the hell that was for, but I'm pretty sure I didn't deserve it."

Rukia put her hands on her hips, as if trying to look menacing, despite the fact she was a good two feet shorter than him. "You were messing up Ashido's rug." She growled. "And I didn't want to wait for you to wake up. You sleep like a baby, and you act like one too."

Ichigo rolled his eyes and muttered, "Whatever, midget." He turned his gaze to Ashido, face clamped into a scowl.

"Well? Do you have another way out of here?"

Ashido blinked. "There was another way." He murmured softly. "I found it a long time ago. I hid it, so the hollows wouldn't destroy it. If I can find the marking I left to find it, then that's our way out."

Rukia and Ichigo gawped at Ashido. He was glad that he was used to those sorts of expressions.

"You've been down here for how long? And you never bothered to try and remember where the way out was?" Ichigo muttered to himself. Ashido didn't reply directly, simply pierced Ichigo with his strong gaze.

"Well, that's god damned excellent." Ichigo growled. Rukia scowled and slammed an elbow into his side. He groaned in pain, and clutched his wounded stomach, his eyes glaring hatefully at the girl. Rukia pretended not to notice, as she turned her gaze to Ashido.

"Well, I guess we better get started."

* * *

THE END.

Hehehe. No, not really. Maybe if I had a death wish, I'd comply. ;)

Anyway, if it seems a little lame, it's because I think it was a bit too early to put romance in it, and I'm a bit too tired to make this chapter any longer, which is why I'm going to stop writing in a few sentences, not including this one. Wow, that was a really long sentence.

Anyways, if you really love me and this story, you will review, because that would make me happy kind of like this =D. And I'm a lot cooler when I'm happy.

I'll try to update soon. No promises though, I've got lots of projects.


	3. Deceit

Alright, I finally convinced myself to create an outline for my story, so I can actually keep track of what's going to happen, instead of winging it and ending up with a story comparable to Icy Heart. Ahem, *cough cough* not that I didn't try super hard on it instead of dishing it out as fast as possible so I could get rid of it *cough cough.* That would never happen…

Also, updates are going to be few and far between. No, it's not writer's block, I got rid of that by doing the above, it's simply school and my INSANE teachers. I swear, they are on crack 24/7. If I was in a car crash and died a horrible accident, they would still call my parents and complain about be not being in school, and then give me an F-. It's ridiculous.

So… on with the show, I guess! And thanks for all of those that reviewed. It helps me write when I know people actually enjoy the story.

Last note, to clarify for some questions I've gotten, this will be a _slight_ Ichigo/Rukia/Ashido triangle. There will be no Ichihime, because I hate that pairing. Basically, Ichigo might be a little jealous, but he's not going to go insane like in my other story. Oh, and if the characters seem OOC, I apologize.

Enjoy!

* * *

The crunches and screeches of creatures echoed throughout the bare forest. The silver of the trees would be beautiful if they didn't shake with the hostility of crying souls. The little bit of grass that attempted to grow in a forest damp with hatred was shredded easily and quickly as hollows gathered, their teeth glinting with hunger.

One flexed and snarled its way into the center, its eyes an abyss of darkness, thick with loathing, as saliva slithered out of his mouth, landing with a careless plop against the withering green. He stood on two legs, with a tail as thick as the trunks that sprouted in the forest. His body was massive, while his face was extremely narrow, his nose pointed sharp. His skin was a grayish green, while a large hole rested in his stomach, while the white mask against his face fixed his mouth in a perpetual grin.

It wasn't a normal hollow. It was an Adjuchas.

"Shut up, you imbeciles!" The thing screeched, his voice seething throughout the woods and into the forest. The other hollows quieted their moans, their bodies shifting as though they were frightened of the leader. Some seemed to mutter quietly, but were hushed with a silent, hateful threat.

The hollows managed to silence all their movements, while they turned glares to the hollow. "Two soul reapers landed here earlier." The slimy voice writhed around the creatures. "They came to see that bastard Ashido, and now they are parading around, while you stupid creatures are trying to pick them all off at the same time. They're too strong for that. We have to kill them one at a time."

A braver hollow in the back snarled. "That's a great plan, but how do you suppose we do that?" It hissed. The Adjuchas's eyes glared at the hollow. It managed to wriggle out of sight and back into the crowd, as the other hollows squirmed under the penetrating stare.

After a moment, the leader grinned, showing off white teeth that sparkled with a lust for blood, while his tongue swiped the outside of his mouth. "Capture one." He sneered. He turned his gaze to the hollows on his left. "You all!" He ordered. "Go. Capture one. Don't. Eat. Any. Of. Them. Do you understand, you dumb creatures?"

Another Adjuchas pushed his way in front of the hollows. "I'll lead this group." He squeaked, his voice high. The leader narrowed his eyes for a moment, than nodded.

"Keep them in line." He snarled. "Now go. You're all wasting time."

The hollows around whimpered with lust, their bodies shimmering with a thirst for flesh. The Adjuchas smirked, and turned his back, leading the hollows through the forest, where the scent of the three soul reapers seeped into his nose. Around them, the forest shuddered with the blood lust around them.

* * *

"Hey! Shitio or whatever your name was, are you sure you know where you're going?" Ichigo's rough voice stumbled across the path they were walking on, making the trees vibrate with distaste. Ashido glanced around uncomfortably. He didn't reprimand Ichigo, because he knew the orange haired boy would simply scoff if Ashido told him to be quiet.

The forest was too sensitive for him to scream. Ashido had been down there for a long time, and had found that most of the environment around him was too weak to deal with the despairing air that constantly surrounded it. That's why, even with trunks as thick as they were, the trees broke so easily.

Rukia glanced at Ashido. The man refused to speak. Instead, his maroon hair swayed with the momentum of his step, while his silvery gaze focused ahead of him, surveying and drinking in everything he could in an attempt to remember where the exit was. She sighed, and turned her gaze ahead of her.

She felt her stomach gurgle uncomfortably. She wasn't used to such a silence. Even Byakuya would give Ichigo a cool but anguished reply. However, Ashido had restrained any retorts. She felt almost uncomfortable without somebody bantering with him. Yet, she had sensed it. When she had traveled with solely Ashido, he seemed quiet until Rukia either battered answers out of him, or until when his resolve finally withered and he answered Rukia's questions.

Ichigo's eyebrows twitched impatiently, his sharp voice alerting Rukia out of her thoughts.. "Hey! I asked you a question!" He growled with irritation. This time, Ashido opened his mouth and offered a quiet, but instant reply.

"No." He rumbled. "If I knew where I was going, we'd be out of here by now."

Ichigo grumbled something inaudible, and Rukia responded by smacking the back of his head. Ichigo choked, and clutched the back of his head while he glared murderously at the small girl, a vein throbbing on the front of his head.

"What the hell was that for?" He challenged, his amber eyes flashing.

"For being an idiot." She snapped back. "Don't be so impatient. It's not an attractive color on you." He met her violet gaze for a moment, and Ashido could nearly feel the lightning sparking between them, until Ichigo finally backed off, muttering something similar to, "stupid midget." Ashido smirked. No matter how in control the orange haired man thought he was, he really was no match for the Kuchiki.

The unmarred silence sat quietly, thick like steam on soup, for a few moments. That was, until, the path suddenly split two ways, causing Ashido to stop abruptly. Rukia blinked, and peered at Ashido, trying to read his expressionless face. The pulsating vein in Ichigo's head seemed to grow in size as he practically slammed into Ashido's back. While Ashido held himself deep in thought, Ichigo began muttering curses. Rukia rolled her eyes.

After a moment, Ashido spoke softly. "It's down one of these paths." He sighed. "I made all the trails that are here so I'd be able to tell where I was at all times, but at the moment I'm not quite sure which trail will lead us to the way out."

For a moment, Ichigo considered just killing the maroon haired man, but he stopped himself. If he did that, all he'd get in return was a glare from a certain midget. Instead, he began to think. "Why don't we split up?" He asked. "If the rocky crag is similar to the one that we used before, I'm sure we could find it."

Ashido eyed Ichigo. The orange haired man wasn't a complete idiot, but he seemed all too eager to get rid of him. However, Ashido knew he was correct. The faster they found the exit, the sooner they could get out. "Alright." He agreed. Ichigo blinked, but kept his surprise hidden. "Why don't both of you go down that path. If you find something, don't come through the forest, or you'll just get lost. Instead, follow the path back. I'll stay on the trail, and it'd be helpful if you two did the same."

"Whatever." Grumbled Ichigo. "Come on, Rukia. The sooner we get going, the sooner we can get the hell out of here."

He began walking down the path, when he heard Rukia call his name softly. Surprised by the quiet in her tone, he turned to look at her. While her voice was soft, her eyes met his resiliently. "I'm going to go with Ashido."

Ichigo raised a single eyebrow, and tried to ignore a strange feeling bubble up in stomach. Instead, he masked his emotions with a scowl. He glanced at Ashido, and took the simple expression on his face as one of simple puzzlement. "Whatever. I'll see you guys later." He turned his body towards the forest that whined ahead of him, glad for the cover of darkness over his body. He didn't like the emotion that seemed to be nibbling at his organs.

Rukia watched him go, feeling alarmed at the strange expression that had darkened his features for a moment. Normally, she would go with Ichigo, but something commanded her to stay with Ashido, as if she wouldn't be able to find him again if he disappeared. She never had that problem with Ichigo. It wasn't exactly easy to ignore him.

Ashido's footsteps began to lead away, breaking her from her thoughts. She turned her gaze to the maroon haired man, and she had to scrabble after him. For each stride he took, she had to take two. He settled into a calm rhythm, his eyes still scanning the forest ahead, as he questioned if he'd ever miss this place. He hadn't ever actually called the forest home. He also had never referred to his cave as his 'house.' He had thought about it like that, since, after all, it's where he had slept and lived for several hundred years. However, he had always called it his hideout. Looking around at the forest, he knew for certain that all he'd miss is perhaps the memory of his friends. The trees were silvery gray, while the ground was just as dusty. He felt his skin aching for sunlight and a breeze, which surprised him. Never had he actually yearned for those things, but now he suddenly thought about how it must look to Rukia and Ichigo. His skin had turned an ashen gray, similar to the shade of the trees. His robes matched both of theirs, but his were tattered by years of use and lack of wash, while his feet went without protection and he wore a coat of fur on his back. He smiled inward, thinking about what Rukia must have thought when she first saw him.

With a jolt, he realized that beside him, Rukia had begun to speak.

"Would we happen to be able to visit your friends?" She asked, almost shyly. Ashido stopped, and peered down at her, his eyes seeming to pierce a hole into her head. For perhaps the hundredth time, she thanked her lack of ability to blush. She remembered the first time he had taken off his mask and shown her his face. He had not lost his ability to penetrate her with his gaze.

"Is that the real reason you came along?" His voice was so soft, she practically had to strain to hear him. Her heart seemed to beat a little faster, despite herself. With a cold brutality, she shoved the feeling back down her throat and into her stomach, where it simmered. Forcing her eyes to maintain the Kuchiki calm, she nodded.

"I thought, that if we're leaving and not coming back, we should stop to say goodbye." She thanked her brother for teaching her to keep her emotions suppressed. He continued to gaze at her for a moment, during which Rukia's heart began beating a little too fast for her liking.

He finally closed his eyes and turned his face away from her. "Alright." He agreed softly. "They're close by. You're right, I do owe them a goodbye."

He turned and began walking down the path, a small smile on his lips. Rukia walked along side him, not quite sure what to say. For some reason, she doubted he believed her. She never had been a great liar, according to Byakuya, and that didn't seem like it was going to change.

The footsteps beside her suddenly halted, and she glanced at Ashido. He wasn't looking at her, his gaze was trained on the trees beside them. Rukia blinked, and followed his gaze, however she wasn't able to figure out what he was looking out, until he gestured towards the branches he was looking at.

"Rukia." He murmured. "We're on the wrong trail."

She didn't reply, simply stared at the branches, trying to figure out the cryptic code he'd seemed to have found. "How do you know that?" She inquired.

He answered patiently. "I made these trails, and in doing so, I wanted to leave myself different clues so I'd know where the exits are, and the adjuchas and hollows wouldn't be able to use them." He sighed. "That didn't help that much. I've never really thought about leaving."

Rukia felt a pang of pity in her chest that she forced herself to repress. She knew the last thing Ashido really wanted, or needed, was to be pitied. He believed he had done the right thing, and now he knew it was time for him to go back. However, Rukia remained determined.

"We'll visit your friends, and then we'll go find Ichigo." She decided. "He's so loud, that if he came this way, we'd hear him."

When she glanced at Ashido, she saw he nodded, and she tried to hide her surprise as he seemed to be fighting a small smirk. Rukia couldn't help but laugh. He glanced at her, with an eyebrow raised, and Rukia immediately tried to straighten herself.

After a moment of odd stares from the maroon haired man, Rukia finally caved. "You thought it was funny." She explained softly, forcing heat from her face as his eyes seemed to search her. She felt a sudden spark of anger. Who was he to try and make her uncomfortable? She was about to snap, when Ashido suddenly smiled.

"That's because it was." He informed her, his deep voice resonating off of the trees around them. "Maybe I've been down here for a long time, but I haven't lost my sense of humor."

Rukia wanted to smack her head against the trunk of a tree, but instead, she was left gawking at Ashido as he began to turn and pace away. Was it something in the water? Why was it that all the men she met and grew close to were either loud to the point of shattering her eardrum, and equipped with ADHD to boot, or they didn't speak at all, and barely looked her way. Maybe it was her…?

"Come on. I'd rather not spend the rest of my life in this place." Ashido chided. He turned back to the path. "They're close by, and the longer we wait, the more attention hollows are going to pay to us." Ashido turned his body, and began walking back down the path. Rukia stared after him for a moment, and as she paced herself after him, she began wondering what exactly was going through the man's mind, and still wondering if she naturally attracted guys with weird personalities.

* * *

Ichigo's steps echoed loud and soft against the dirt, with the ghostly trees stretching like screaming spirits around him. He searched the trees, searching for, well, anything. Anything that seemed strange. What exactly was he looking for? A crag? Damn it, what was he even doing? Just wandering around, hoping for something to just show up?

He skidded to halt, his blood beginning to boil. Damn that Ashido, and damn that midget. Here he was, wandering around in a forest filled with hollows, searching for anything strange. That didn't make sense! He was in a nest for hollows, everything was strange.

However, now what irked him was Rukia leaving him behind. That had been awkwardly irritating when she said she wanted to go with Ichigo. No, he didn't mind in that way, however, he was used to the midget being by his side. Now, they were in a festering ground for hollows, and who knows how this place was going to be effected by Aizen's death? He simply felt better when he didn't have to worry about the rather dense girl getting killed, after coming this far.

He ran a hand through his hair, letting his eyes scope out the forest. It was all a dank gray, and beyond that dank gray, was total darkness. Last time he was here, he hadn't really minded. He had been distracted by Nel's capture, that he hadn't even really noticed Rukia being gone. He had assumed she would be fine, he had to focus on little Nel. But now, without Nel, or anyone else, distracting him, he found his thoughts being consumed by the dark haired midget. His scowl deepened.

Turning on his heel, he began walking back to the fork in the road. He was going to get Ashido and Rukia, no matter if she complained or not.

He walked for only a moment, when the hair on his arms began to stand on end. He stopped, feeling a sinister spiritual pressure begin to press limply against his skin. He stopped, pressure on his toes, his amber eyes skidding around, searching. A small growl, dripping delight and hunger, squealed out of the trees, forcing chills up his spine.

Ichigo almost laughed out loud at himself. He had faced Aizen, one of the most powerful men in Soul Society, and came out on top, and he was worried about a hollow?

Yet, this was different, he knew. There was only one Aizen. In this forest, there were millions of hollows, and they weren't bound by a code. They weren't going to wait to attack one at a time, they would do it all at once.

So, when he heard the sinister growling of a hollow, he couldn't help but feel his heart beat a little faster. He reached his hand up, and grasped the hilt of his sword. Keeping his weight light, he turned on his heel, drawing the large blade, in time to meet the screeching claws of a hollow, as it glared down at him hungrily, amber eyes twinkling ravenously.

Ichigo grinned, as the hollow snapped at him. "What took you ugly bastards so long?"

* * *

Ooh, a cliffy!

Just a heads up, in future chapters (not the next one) these chapters might get a bit darker. Don't worry, I'll give you a fair warning.

Anyways, I basically forced myself to do this in my free time, however, I am actually very happy with how it ended. Don't expect me to update soon, I've got crazy teachers to deal with. *Backs up against wall, holding a knife.* Stay back! I'm well armed!

Anyways, please review. I'm sorry if this isn't as long as some wanted it to be, but I kind of needed to get it out of the way.


	4. Capture's Kiss

WHOA! I updated this chapter EXTREMELY FAST! Maybe you don't care, but to me, this is amazing. Of course, I had already started this chapter in the middle of writing the last one, so it was pretty easy to finish.

Alright, so I promised myself I'd make a longer chapter, so I swear, this chapter is longer. No hurting me, I find it hard to make chapters really long. In truth, my stories aren't meant to be carried out for twenty chapters, and if I made mine half as long as some of these people, there would only be two chapters. But I can't do that, because than there would be no cliffhangers, and that would be just downright disappointing, right? What's life without a little surprise?

Anyways, I've promised myself I wouldn't do another story without finishing this, so I'm going to dish it out as fast as possible. Just bear with me. I managed to get teachers off my back, so I can focus on this.

Oh, and just a warning, BEWARE OF THE FLUFF!!!! There are a lot of random, sweet moments in here, so if you like darker chapters; you're just going to have to wait until later.

Enjoy!

* * *

Rukia found herself staring at the simple, wooden tombstones, jutting out of the ground as if they were trying to reach towards the sun that wouldn't even hold itself over Hueco Mundo. She glanced at Ashido, who avoided her eyes, focusing his gaze squarely on the tombstones. His shoulders were somewhat slumped, and he seemed as if he were in some sort of trance. Her heart thumped as she watched the pain in his eyes.

She wanted to reach out and comfort this man, someone who had been through so much, and yet still fought so gallantly, and still seemed rather kind. She wondered how she would feel, falling out of the sky into the forest, and watching as, comrade by comrade, her friends died. She imagined Ichigo, Renji, Orihime, all her friends being cut down by masses of hollows, exhausted, killed…

The petite girl turned her head to the side, grimacing. Would she still have the nerve to stay in the Menos Forest, fighting against the hollows that killed her friends? She gulped down a lump that formed in her throat, and smiled sadly. Of course not, she probably would have gotten out of there as fast as possible. She wondered if anyone had even searched for Ashido, or if they had assumed him dead. With hesitation, she considered her brother. Would Byakuya look for her, if he knew she had fallen into the Menos Forest? That was a question she wasn't quite sure about.

"I tried so hard to save them." She heard Ashido murmur, his voice laced with a sadness that distracted her. "And now I'm leaving them. That wasn't a fate they deserved."

Rukia stared at him, trying to read this man's face, not quite sure what to say. His eyes seemed to distant, quietly painful, as his mouth set in a straight line, that she couldn't decipher for the life of her. In ways, he still reminded her of Byakuya, quietly reserved, trying to gulp down any pain to benefit Soul Society. Rukia blinked, as she suddenly wondered about Hisana. How exactly had such a women managed to delve into Byakuya's heart, and make him open up? She pushed those thoughts away. All that mattered now was making sure Ashido made it home.

Ashido suddenly turned towards her, his gray gaze seeming to pierce coldly through her exterior. She searched his expression, looking for an opening. When she couldn't find one, she sputtered out the first thing that came to mind. "It isn't a fate anyone deserves." She replied, surprised that her voice sounded so quiet. "Especially such brave men, but, Ashido, they wouldn't want you staying down here for forever. They'd want you to at least, see the light of the sun, instead of fighting hollows for forever. Besides, it wasn't your fault. You _all_ decided to go into the Menos Forest, and it's not like you purposely let them die. The hollows are to blame, not you."

He blinked, not answering directly. Instead, he turned back to the graves, and frowned. "I may not have been able to save them, but there's not much I can do about that." He turned his gaze back to Rukia. "I have to make you a deal, then."

That last part made Rukia knit her eyebrows together in confusion. "A… a deal?" She questioned, turning her gaze towards him. His eyes met hers evenly, and a smirk began to play at his lips. An icy chill seemed to rummage up Rukia's spine, and she forced a blush away from her face. "Alright, what deal?"

He was silent for a moment, making Rukia's heart jump, but after a short silence, he directed himself back to her. He tried not to let any emotion show through as he saw her eyebrows furrow with thought. She had the same face as him. He may not have looked in a mirror in a while, but he knew that face. The face of pain, a hard mask, disguising the self loathing in her eyes. However, if there was one thing Ashido was experienced with, it was trying to break down walls.

He shook off those thoughts, and instead, focused his gaze back at her. "If I promise not to blame myself for what happened, you have to promise me that you'll stop blaming yourself."

The request caught Rukia off guard, she nearly stumbled back a couple of feet. She gawked at the maroon haired man, but there was no joke, nor a smirk in his eyes, only an imploring demand. Rukia didn't know what to say. How had he known that she also blamed herself for someone's death? She focused her gaze on him, for a moment, unable to speak.

"Well?" He challenged, his face set in a serious line. "Is that a deal?"

Rukia narrowed her eyes. No, he hadn't asked her to elaborate on what had happened. He was demanding something simple of her, but for some reason, her heart ached at the sound of it, as if she was betraying Kaien.

"I… I… uh…" She stammered, unable to form a coherent sentence. As if reading her mind, Ashido stepped closer to her, eyes gazing down at her.

"You're like me." He murmured. "You blame yourself for someone's death. However, I have my doubts that it was actually your fault. Your eyes are a mask, Rukia, but masks are easy to tear off. This isn't easy for me, leaving them behind, almost as if I'm forgetting them, betraying them. However, you said it yourself, Rukia. This wasn't my fault. I'll always regret what happened, but what can I do by sitting here, not even making a dent in the hollow's population?"

Rukia dropped her violet orbs from his, his stare becoming too intense for her to handle. After a few moment, she forced herself to speak. "I… there was a man, when I first joined the Gotei Thirteen. The lieutenant of the thirteenth squad, named Kaien Shiba. He was a well liked, respected man, and a sort of mentor to me." She paused slightly. Ashido narrowed his eyes. He knew what Rukia wasn't telling him. _I loved him._

"One day, his wife went on a mission, and got possessed by a parasitic hollow. When we went to see her, she was unconscious, and we didn't notice anything wrong. However, later, she attacked all of her subordinates, killing them. She died later, the hollow ate her from the inside out. (A/N: Forgive me if I don't know the exact details of Miyako's death, I haven't watched the older episodes of Bleach in a while. 0_o)

"Kaien went after the hollow, and he was possessed by it…" Her voice trailed off, and Ashido was smart enough to fill in the gaps.

"You had to kill him, in order to save him." He sighed.

At that, Rukia's hands clenched into tight fists. "To save _myself."_ She hissed, her voice drenched in such self loathing, Ashido almost felt his heart crumble. "Captain Ukitake ordered me to leave, to save me any grief. However, I came back. I don't know why. I don't know why I came back, or what I was planning on doing. All I knew was that I couldn't just leave while Kaien was in that state."

Her voice lowered to a whisper, and he almost had to stoop to hear her. "I came back." She muttered, lowering her head, so her bangs were shielding her eyes, and the tears he could see dripping onto the cold ground. "I told myself I could do something about it, and suddenly, he was coming at me. I… I raised my sword, I had to protect myself. And the next thing I know, he was leaning on me, my sword embedded in his abdomen, _thanking_ me." Disgust laced her voice, while an under line of hot tears seemed to decorated it. Her body began to tremble.

Ashido stared at her, not sure what to say. He had witnessed all of his comrades die, but he didn't know what he would do if he had to kill someone that he loved.

However, he did know that this girl didn't deserve this. She was tough, tougher than he had originally given her credit for. She carried that burden on her shoulders, and kept taking the burden of others, as if she had no limit. But he knew different. No one was that strong, that they could carry the burden of the world on their shoulders. He wanted to wrap her in his arms, and protect her, take that burden from her, and assure her it was going to be okay.

Forcing himself out of his thoughts, he looked down at the shivering Rukia, her small form racking with suppressed sobs. Gently, he reached downwards, and took her face in his hands. Her breath caught with surprise, as he pulled up her face to look him in the eyes. He felt almost lost in her gaze. She held so much sadness, but at the same time, she had practically sacrificed herself, and saved Ashido. She had saved him from the loneliness, with only his dead friends to accompany him, and with a darkness that had been chewing at his soul. It was his job to return the favor.

"Look at me." He commanded softly, forcing her to really look at him, and not past him. She had shed three tears, and the rest swam in the back of her violet orbs, making her dark blue gaze glitter violently. Using the pads of his thumbs, he wiped away the salty tears that had dried against her cheeks, and offered her a smile. Not a smirk, nor a fake smile. A warm, gentle one that practically disarmed her.

"Listen to me, Rukia." He ordered. "In no way was that your fault. That was the hollow. If anything, you saved him. He would have died, and he left his heart with you. He was able to rest in peace, knowing that he was no longer going to hurt you, or anyone else. That, in no way is your fault. So, if I'm going to come back with you, and let go of what happened, you have to do the same. You can no longer blame yourself. Is that clear?"

She stared up at him, her eyes shimmering gently, as she absorbed his gentle look, eyes soft and sweet, with a warm smile. Unable to stop herself, she smiled back at him, allured by his kind, handsome features. It was as if he had broken down anything she had built to keep people out. The mask she used around Ichigo and Renji, and the quietness she used around Byakuya seemed to fade. He sensed it, and it surprised him. In its wake, it left a soft, sweet girl, who had been beaten down by the world until she was practically drowning.

She felt her heart skip a beat when she saw how he seemed to be smiling at her, as if he was absorbing everything about her. He felt her mind seemed to clear, and he smiled, but he wasn't going to let her off the hook that easy. "Is that clear?" He demanded again, his eyes peering at her, seeming to penetrate through any walls she had built.

She gaped at him, not sure what to make of the sudden serene expression that had adapted onto his features. However, she felt herself beginning to smile at him, her heart feeling lighter.

"Yes, sir." She grinned. "I'll take you up on that deal."

His features seemed to soften even more. "Good." He murmured. Rukia blinked, unable to detect the sudden change in his voice. She opened her mouth to ask him something, but before she could speak a word, he effectively shut her up, by pressing his cold lips against her soft ones.

* * *

"God damn it!" Ichigo shrieked in rage, as he slashed through yet another hollow, his eyes wide with rage. They were bearing down on him, eyes hungry holes of darkness, as they crept closer. To the side, he saw a scrawny looking hollow, which wasn't attacking. It seemed to be staring daggers at Ichigo, licking his lips, his arms stretching luxuriously. Ichigo snarled. The damn creature was enjoying Ichigo fighting for his life, as he sat on his ass, and did absolutely nothing.

"Remember, hollows, don't eat this one. He's for capturing." His voice, thick with a loathing slime, seemed to coat Ichigo. He stared in distaste at the Adjuchas, and the creature grinned back at him, his eyes all too eager to see Ichigo get attacked.

"Just try it, you little jack ass." He dared the monster. He glared at the orange haired Soul Reaper, but didn't attack. Instead, it turned its gaze away. "Gillion!" He screeched. "Attack!"

The familiar glow and sound of cero blasts gathering swam through the air and Ichigo's eyes widened.

"Shit!" He hissed, scrambling as fast as he could out of the way, feeling the hot cero blast practically scraping him as they smashed against the earth, sending rocks flying in showers against the trees. Ichigo felt a few rocks pummeling his shins, but didn't even glance. Bruises were easy to heal. However, disintegrated body parts were another story.

He scowled and dodged more cero blasts, which were bearing down on him faster than he could dodge. The red glow was illuminating the forest, the trees quivered and shook, the trunks snapping, as the blasts fruitlessly crashed against the foliage.

Ichigo landed smoothly on a branch, his sword raised, his breath heavy, unsure what to do. The Gillion turned their gazes towards him, eyes black as they took quick commands from their leader. Behind, a large hollow crept up, and lashed out, his hand extending to catch Ichigo. He blinked in confusion when he felt nothing in his grip. Bewildered, he opened his fist, and stared when he saw no human.

The hollow couldn't register what happened before Ichigo slammed his sword through the hollow's face. It screeched in pain, and then disappeared, a ghostly screech replacing where it had once stood.

The Adjuchas clenched his jaw. "Stupid hollows!" He screamed. "He's faster than that! Gillion, keep using cero!"

The dwindling Gillion that had become bored, immediately rallied against Ichigo, as blasts began going against him at all sides, practically destroying the forest. Ichigo snarled in pain as a hollow grasped his leg with its teeth. Without hesitation, he drove the huge blade into the hollow's brain. It flailed in pain, before disappearing, leaving a square gash on Ichigo's leg, which dripped crimson blood onto the painfully gray forest, that seemed to creak under the weight of it.

"Damn it!" The Adjuchas screeched, his eyes fixed on the orange haired man. Ichigo dodged another cero, and turned his brown gaze upon infuriated creature.

"If you're so high and mighty, why don't you attack me yourself?" He snarled. The Adjuchas didn't say anything, simply withdrew into the shadows.

Of course it wouldn't attack. It had a job to capture a Soul Reaper, and he was orchestrating the whole thing, the imbeciles couldn't control the Gillion or think for themselves. If he was killed, they would scatter, and this would be for naught. Before anger began hoarding in his stomach, or the hole in his stomach, he gathered his thoughts. Of course, all he had to do was request more Gillion. Maybe the other Soul Reapers would show up, and they'd be easier to capture. Not that Ashido bastard, but maybe the girl.

* * *

Rukia was in shock. Not in a painful shock, but simply a mind numbing shock, as if she really couldn't process was happening. All her brain could do was receive this startling news as a kiss. Her hands hung like stones at her side, and she couldn't move her arms for the life of her. She was momentarily stuck, not quite sure what to do.

That's when instinct interfered. However, she didn't push against Ashido, nor did she break away. Instead, before she knew it, she was pressing back towards Ashido, her lips moving against his rather eagerly as she poured out all of her pain.

And he readily, if not greedily, accepted it, swallowing the bitterness and grief, as if his purpose in life was to take away heartache. She didn't resist as he wormed his arms around her back and her waist, pulling her closer, into the warmth against his chest and stomach, his rather ragged clothes rubbing against her flesh.

She felt ready to stay there forever, allowing someone to finally share the torment, without forcing it out of her. Renji, Ichigo, everyone had tried to help her, but she suddenly felt at home in this man's arms. When he finally pulled away, her heart practically tightened with fear. He blinked down at her, and she easily knew what that expression was. He was as confused as her. He had acted purely on instinct, and now he looked completely lost.

However, after a few moments, his expression softened, into a quiet smile that made Rukia's heart race. She felt ready to melt when he looked at her so softly, as if she were the only thing that mattered in the world. It made her skin prickle with goose bumps and she nearly shivered with pleasure.

The silence between them made Rukia want to fidget with something. She almost reached up to touch her lips that were now swollen, but she forced her hands to stay by her side. Instead, she pressed further into his grip, and buried her face into his chest.

"That was unexpected." She murmured into his chest, almost too quietly for him to hear.

He was stunned himself, not quite sure what to say. She felt so perfect in his arms, as if she were meant to fit against his body perfectly. It made his heart leap with joy, and he hugged her closer, feeling her arms snaking around his body.

"Yes." He finally spoke, his voice practically breathless. "That was unexpected."

They sat silently, but not awkwardly, simply holding each other, and feeling content in the other's arms. Ashido wanted to bury his nose into her hair, and whisper kindly to her, but something was stopping him. The hair on the back of his neck stood up as an all too familiar spiritual pressure pressed against them, rather coldly.

Instinctively, Ashido released Rukia, and whirled on his heel, eyes wide. Rukia almost objected for a moment, when she felt the same thing as Ashido. Her eyes seemed to narrow in a calm panic as she faced through the thicket of the forest. "The hollows, they found Ichigo." She growled. "Come on!"

The kiss practically forgotten, the two leapt away, strides matching as they raced through the trees.

* * *

Ichigo grunted in pain as his body was slammed mercilessly into a gray tree, causing the trunk to groan under the pressure, and the bark snapped. The resulting bits flying from the trunk buried into Ichigo's back, the wood digging into his flesh. He bellowed in pain, and instinctively grasped the nicks of wood, yanking them from his flesh as he cursed silently.

A hollow screeched loudly, spotting Ichigo, and immediately targeting him. Ichigo forgot about his back, now oozing light trickled of blood, and leapt away, hearing a crunching sound along with the hollows wail. Glancing behind him, he saw the trunk had snapped in half, but the top of the tree, still rooted at the surface, simply dangled.

Ichigo grimaced. His body was tiring, and lacerations were pouring blood, splotching against the gray landscape. These hollows were low leveled, but he had only just healed from a fatal wound, and he was now breathing heavily.

"Shit." He mumbled, raising his sword to deflect the claws of another hollow, which had replaced the other hollow which had fled in pain, its mask broken in half. Ichigo smirked, that wasn't even his fault, the hollow was simply dumb. His smirk quickly turned into a scowl of pain.

The damn Adjuchas had called in more Gillion, and more hollows, and they were closing in, crying in hatred and hunger. Ichigo hissed in anger, and focused on finding the Adjuchas. If he could just kill the leader, than this would be all over, but the damn coward was slipping from tree to tree, avoiding any direct conflict.

The sound of a cero blast gathering snapped Ichigo out of his vengeful thoughts. He jumped towards a tree, smirking as the cero blast hit the hollow, immediately disintegrating it. As he moved his eyes, however, his eyes weren't on the branch he was leaping for, and his pants managed to latch onto a large twig. He blanched as his body was flung forward, and towards the ground, and did an effective face plant into a patch of dirt that hadn't been charred yet.

From above, he heard a voice leering at him. Wanting to curse Rukia and her insistence on coming to get Ashido, who was more than capable of taking care of himself, Ichigo rolled onto his back, and shoved his body to his feet, glaring as the Adjuchas grinned at him, his face seeming to be stuck in a sneer.

The creature seemed to stare hungrily at Ichigo, his eyes eager to kill. "Why don't you give up, Soul Reaper? You're not going to make it out of here alive." He cackled, and scampered out of the trees, disappearing again. Ichigo wanted to scream in frustration, or pull out his hair. No, he wanted to strangle that dumb midget. It was her fault he was in this god damn mess. Where was she, anyways?

As if on cue, the sound of rustling trees distracted Ichigo. He whirled, blade raised, ready to attack. However, instead of a hollow lunging for him, eager to eat him, two familiar faces appeared. He recognized Ashido's maroon hair, and Rukia's small stature. He was relieved for a couple of seconds, happy for reinforcements. However, that feeling was quickly gone, and replaced by annoyance. He scowled at them both, while glaring at a particular, short individual.

"What took you guys so long?" He demanded. Rukia expected him to put his hands on his hips and scold her. The relief she had felt when seeing he was okay packed up and flew out the window, and was replaced by irritation.

"We were about a mile that way." She retorted. "It took us a little while, so don't complain! If anything, you've been slacking!" Ichigo stared at her in disbelief. _She_ was lecturing _him_ because _she_ was late? He wanted to smack her. If anything, it was her fault! He opened his mouth, ready to retort, when a hollow's cry of anger interrupted him. Rukia flashed Ichigo an exasperated glance, before flinging herself at the hollow. Before he could say anything, she slammed her sword through the hollow's face, and cut downwards, as if it were butter. She whirled on Ichigo, as if to say, _see? I've been here for two minutes, and already I'm saving your ass!_

"Look out!" Ashido called over his shoulder, breaking the staring contest between the two. Ichigo grumbled, and effectively shoved the girl out of the way as a cero blast slipped through the trees, charring the landscape. Rukia coughed as she swallowed a bit of soot, and glared at Ichigo.

"What the hell have you been doing? You're supposed to kill the leading Adjuchas!" Rukia demanded, eyeing Ichigo. She was beginning to think he had a mental disability that she hadn't picked up on before. Then again, it was sort of obvious. A vein popped on Ichigo's forehead.

"I know, midget!" He snapped. "Do you think I enjoy being attacked by hundreds of hollows and Gillion? The freaking coward keeps disappearing, and calling on more reinforcements!" He wanted to strangle her and her nagging voice. She stared daggers back, her eyes glittering dangerously.

Ashido felt like rolling his eyes, or at least slapping his head with his palm. Did these two ever stop? If it were at a different time, he would have been extremely amused, but not in the middle of a battle, with hollows bearing down on them at all sides. Deciding to intrude on their staring contest, he called down to them, concealing all annoyance from his voice. "Well, then we'll help. However, you should probably watch your backs, instead of standing there and arguing."

Ichigo glared at the maroon haired man, breaking his gaze away from Rukia. For some reason, he suddenly felt as if he wanted to strangle this man. However, Rukia, broken from her annoyed trance, complied. She leapt past Ichigo, purposely shoving him with her shoulder, and leapt into action, swinging her sword expertly from side to side, while avoiding cero blasts. Ichigo glared at her momentarily, and then sighed, giving up. Following her lead, he forced himself into a mass of hollows, ready to attack.

Ashido watched the petite girl out of the corner of his eye, feeling a sudden surge of protectiveness coming over him as she slashed her way through tons of hollows. He knew that the girl was a lot tougher than she seemed, and could take care of herself, he didn't want her to get hurt. He forced those thoughts from his mind. Rukia could take care of herself, and would either get pissed or would blame herself if Ashido got involved with the battle. Instead, he focused on finding the Adjuchas. If he could kill that, than the hollows would scatter. He glanced at Ichigo, sensing he was thinking the same thing. And that he was going to commit mass murder when they got back to Soul Society.

He shared a glance with Ichigo, and the two men seemed to agree. They launched into the trees, searching for the Adjuchas. The damn thing _was_ elusive. It was smaller than the rest of the hollows, and the same color as the trees. As soon as Ashido thought he had spotted the thing, it would turn and slip away.

The Adjuchas turned his head, and grinned as he slipped through their attacks. He was known for being practically invisible and dodging attacks with ease. Perhaps he didn't have a huge amount of brawn, and perhaps he wasn't the smartest, but he knew how to avoid conflict to make the attacks go on for as long as possible. He sensed their frustration, and climbed the trees higher. They stopped in confusion, glancing around, and he smirked. Humans thought they were so smart, but they couldn't ever think to look _up._

He eyed the two men as they chased after him. They were determined, knowing if they cut the head off the snake, the hollows would scatter. The Adjuchas scowled. Stupid hollows, if only they could hold themselves together, but that was way too much to ask. The imbeciles couldn't think for the life of them. If he left them alone, they would either try to eat the Soul Reapers and get massacred, or they would scatter.

Deciding to leave them as they searched fruitlessly for him, he leapt closer to where a different Soul Reaper was, fighting by herself. She dodged the cero blasts easily, and cut through the hollows with ease, as if she did this daily. He scowled, knowing that she probably did. However, she was alone, and distracted. A thought struck the creature. The Adjuchas smirked. He himself had a different power. He wasn't one for attacking up close, but his limbs stretched, almost invisibly.

He turned his attention to the closest hollows. It was easy to communicate without speaking, and now he was using this to his advantage. Sending out a silent signal to the closest hollows, he crept behind her. The two hollows immediately complied. The first ambushed Rukia and smothered her with its claws, pretending as if it were going to engulf her. The second kept its steps quiet, until it was within striking distance. It suddenly leaned forward, and snatched her sword in its jaws, pulling as hard as it could.

Rukia gasped, suddenly confused, as the hollow tackled her. It wasn't trying to rip her apart, it just seemed to be pinning her to the ground, and practically engulfed her in its jaws. Rukia tried to stab it with her sword, but something had gripped her sword. She panicked, and tried to pull her blade away, but something pulled back, and ripped the hilt from her palms so fast it blistered her flesh.

* * *

Ichigo blinked, and glanced around him. "Where the hell did that Adjuchas go?" He spat, annoyed beyond reason. The damn thing kept disappearing, as if it were playing hide and seek. Ashido didn't say anything, simply glared through the trees. It was as if the thing had just up and disappeared, and left them in the dust.

"God damn it." Hissed Ichigo. "When this is over, I'm going to strangle that woman!" He was practically seething. Ashido smirked.

* * *

Rukia struggled, her heart seizing, as she tried to force herself to calm down. Surprise shifted through her body as the hollow suddenly recoiled. The Adjuchas reached out, snatching Rukia in his iron grip. The smaller girl struggled, her eyes wide with panic, and the creature hissed at her.

"Keep your mouth shut, girl." He snapped, and smashed her head against a tree. The effect was instant. Instead of struggling, her head lolled to one side, and her eyes shut closed, while crimson blood began to pour from her scalp. The Adjuchas grinned, wondering how exactly that liquid would taste on his tongue. He fought the urge to gulp her down right then, but knew he would get massacred by the lead Adjuchas. He forced that urge away.

"Hollows, retreat!" He seethed, suddenly irked after what happened. The hollows glanced at him, and seeing the unconscious Soul Reaper in the Adjuchas's grip, they immediately scampered back towards their base, eyes suddenly hungry. The Adjuchas grinned, and scrambled after them, before hesitating. He had another duty to perform.

* * *

"Eh?" Ichigo blinked, watching as the Gillion suddenly scattered mindlessly, eyes getting bored, and they began to wander away, as if nothing happened. The hollows, as well, suddenly clambered away, tongues lolling, their claws digging against the trees while they pushed themselves away. Ashido blinked, it was as if they were suddenly excited.

"Did they give up?" Ichigo wondered aloud as Ashido stepped beside him, wiping his sword clean and sheathing it again.

His gray eyes watched as the hollows retreated, his eyes furrowed in confusion. "I doubt it." He growled in his deep voice. "They don't give up. They're too dumb to give up." Something unsettling surrounded him, and he felt something biting at the pit of his stomach. Something was wrong.

"Then why...?" Ichigo suddenly stopped when he saw the Adjuchas glaring at them through the trees, grinning wildly. It held one of his arms behind his back, as if he were hiding something. His eyes were satisfied, and were glittering with hungry pleasure.

"Goodbye, Soul Reapers! You win this round, but we'll be back." As if to prove it, the creature licked his lips, and cackled. For some reason, Ashido felt as if Adjuchas was thinking it won, not the other way around. It glared at the two Soul Reapers, his eyes narrowing suddenly, and it smirked. "You can count on it."

"Hey, what are you trying to pull?" Ichigo demanded, raising his sword, and began towards the Adjuchas, ready to attack. The creature shook his head, and began to cluck, as if he were a mother scolding a child. Ashido narrowed his gray eyes. What was with this creature? Five minutes ago, it was too scared to face the men head on, and now it was glaring at them as if they were vermin.

"Behave, Soul Reaper." He slithered, as if trying to console the orange haired man, who was growing more and more infuriated. "We'll be back. Don't miss me too much." Ichigo opened his mouth, ready to retort, when it turned around, and bolted away, cackling in laughter. Ashido blinked. As the Adjuchas turned, he saw it gripping something in his hand. It was a dark lump. He started. What was he holding?

"That dumb, arrogant bastard, who does he think he is?" Ichigo swore to himself, and turned, blissfully missing that the creature was holding anything. Looking at Ashido, whose face was in shock, Ichigo blinked, and waved a hand in front of his face. "Eh, are you okay? You look a little spaced out."

Ashido didn't respond right away. What was the Adjuchas carrying? He blinked, trying to remember, when realization struck him. It wasn't a lump of dirt. It had been too dark to be any dirt found in this forest, all of that dirt was a solid gray. In fact, there wasn't that much dirt at all, it was mostly stone.

Ashido seemed to snap back to reality, as anger and panic surged through his body. The sudden fury in his eyes made Ichigo start in surprise, and it almost made him shudder. Ashido was always so calm, and the sudden change in his eyes, from light gray to a stormy darkness almost made Ichigo nervous.

"Ichigo," Ashido muttered, his voice tight with hatred. "Those creatures weren't retreating in fear. They were retreating because they got what they wanted." He met Ichigo's brown stare, and could tell from the look in his eyes that the man was confused.

"They took her, Ichigo." Ashido snapped, losing patience. Ichigo's eyes widened, and he felt as if he had stumbled. "They took Rukia."

* * *

Dun, dun, DUNNA!!!! I just cliff hung your ass! Or is it cliff hanged? Either way, I just left you at a cliffhanger.

Hehe, no worries, I'm trying to update as fast as possible, so I can get this story out of the way before I forget about it and lose interest again. However, don't expect updates to always be this fast, normally they take a lot longer.

So, what did you guys think? This chapter is a few pages longer than usual, because my friend helped me edit and add in a bit more detail, to make it more interesting. Nice, huh? It's a lot longer than usual, but I'll try not to slack next chapter.

By the way, in case you were wondering, Rukia's sword got taken away, so she couldn't fight back, and he knocked her out before she could use kido. If you were also wondering why I always refer to their weapons as swords, it's because, for the life of me, I can't spell zanpakuto. I found that spelled on one site, but it's spelled differently on all the sites, so I don't really know. If you guys could help me out, that'd just be golly gosh darn wonderful.

I did like this chapter, and sorry if the fluff seemed a bit rushed, but I'm bad at taking it slow. It was nice to write though, because not for one moment did I feel pressed for words, or did I feel writer's block. It was pretty smooth.

Constructive criticism would be great. No flaming though. Any type of review is wonderful, so please leave one.

Thank you!


	5. Captured

Alright than! I got plenty of reviews for my last chapter, and said, "hey, might as well update, right?" So, here I am, working on a new chapter. Yeah, it took me a while, but I've been really sick recently, so give me a break.

I am going to start working on another fic. It's my first, and most likely, only Ichigo/Rukia pairing, since she seems to be so compatible with everyone. Except for Renji. I just don't really like him, his voice is annoying.

Anyways, this chapter will probably be a bit darker than the other chapters, but nothing too dark… I think. I don't know, I'm just kind of winging it, and so you'll have to read to find out exactly how it turns out.

In response to some that have pointed out their 'concerns,' yes, you know who you are, there will be no IchiHime, in fact, she won't even be in this story, so don't give yourself a hernia. It'll all be okay. I'm focusing more on this story than my other, so don't think I'll be spending more time updating that than this. Also, there will NOT (really) be a triangle in between Ichigo, Ashido, and Rukia. No bitter jealousy. He might act a bit weird, because he's used to Rukia coming to him, but he isn't going to go insane. Nor is he going to Orihime, so just calm down.

Anyways, on with the show!

Enjoy!

* * *

It felt as if the whole world was crumbling around him. The Menos Forest, the trees, the ground, all of it was just dissipating, turning to a dark, cold ash, as a hole seemed to bury itself within his heart, while something cold swiftly clutched his soul, and refused to unbury its grasp.

At first, it was an unbearable anger that clenched his heart. Icy claws scraped against the inside of his chest and stomach, and it felt as if he was being ripped open. An ice fire was burning in his limbs, and while it felt as if it were taking hours, and he was slowly being destroyed, it was only a few seconds. A few seconds, until it began to fade.

In its place was a hollow sadness that reverberated his entire being, and racked his spine with melancholy. It was as if he didn't know what to do, as if the only thing that mattered was ripped from him, and left behind something so god damn empty. Happiness isolated his heart, and loneliness and gloom began to gnaw at his being, similar to ice gnawing at flesh.

He suddenly understood how hollows felt. Their stomachs were so empty with a biting despair, they wanted to eat anything, everything, that might fill their emptiness, and in doing so, become cold, heartless creatures, happy to see the massacre and suffering of others. He understood the chain that was attached to them, for that's what had happened to him. Rukia, his chain, his life, ripped from him, leaving a gaping hole that he wasn't sure would be easily mended.

And in that moment, that's what Ashido became. Rukia, his light, saving him from such a dark, desolate world, had been torn from him, and he hadn't even chased after her. His heart seemed to barely beat, as if it sensed it had no reason to live without her. With those thoughts, his spirit became cold, numb. It had been torn away from feelings, and only longed for a single thing.

Rukia.

His light, his life, hell, who was he kidding? She held his whole being in her hands. He loved the raven haired, violet eyed, short, feisty woman.

His spirit energy spiked, and Ichigo blinked, taking a few steps back, feeling something suddenly dark pulsating from the usually calm man. His muted gray eyes darkened, until they resembled a foggy storm, swirling inside him, practically ready to burst. Lightning crackled in his aura, and Ichigo narrowed his eyes. He recognized that darkness, that hatred. In himself, he knew. Ichigo had his own darkness, in a form of a hollow. He felt his arms prickle. If Ashido went hollow, than there was nothing Ichigo could do but fight back. He desperately didn't want to kill the man. That would be hard to explain to Rukia without getting himself slaughtered.

His thoughts were silenced by Ashido's depressed anger, gathering faster and harder, furiously, until it abruptly dulled, shocking Ichigo. It was as if the despair suddenly swirled away, replaced by cold, hard fury. Ichigo practically balked, silently intimidated by the transformation. He didn't know the man as well as Rukia, but it was almost serene. He didn't need to back away.

At that moment, Ashido lifted his stormy gaze, to meet with Ichigo's. The orange haired man immediately understood what words would never be able to tell him. His amber gaze hardened, and he nodded. Ashido would go the pits of hell and back to have Rukia, and, while Ichigo knew he could never matter that much to the raven haired girl, it didn't matter. She was as wild as the wind, and would do whatever the hell she wanted to, and Ichigo wasn't going to stop her. If Ashido was going to fling himself into the middle of a terrifying, bloody battle, well, Ichigo might as well back him up. He couldn't let him take all the glory.

"Let's go." Ashido's voice, quiet with sadness and despair, yet strengthened with a frigid determination, seeped through Ichigo's thoughts. Before the amber eyed man could say a thing, Ashido seemed to gather himself and took off, flash steps fast and swift as he followed the trail, literally leaving Ichigo in the dust, but not before picking up Rukia sword. It had been flung into a tree, and had stuck, point down, into the trunk. Of course, it was easy to grab.

Surprised, Ichigo gawped for a moment, until his fighting instinct began to take over. Feeling adrenaline beginning to pump through his bones, he grinned as the dust showed off Ashido's determined speed. He had the best teachers when it came to acceleration, and was ready to actually _run _through this crazy ass forest. "I thought you'd never ask." He chuckled to himself, stepping on his toe, and plunging himself through the air, ready to attack.

* * *

If Rukia had known where she was, she would have never regained consciousness willingly. Yet, when she felt herself startled from the dream state that fogged her blackened mind, she couldn't tell anything. Her eyes fought to open, black blurs meeting her sight. Surrounding her were large, cold rocks. She lay on a hard surface, while darkness prodded her peripheral vision. A strange light seemed to filter in above her, breaking the darkness.

Consciousness began returning to her fogged mind, as she struggled to remember what had happened. She had been fighting with Ichigo and Ashido, she had been doing well, killing lots of hollows. But… then two hollows attacked her. One had grabbed her sword, and the other had attempted to swallow her. And then… and then…

Ugh, she couldn't think. Her head ached, harshly throbbing against her skull. Thinking made it hurt even more. In result, she took in a deep breath, trying to calm down.

That was a bad idea.

Her flesh, which was calm before, erupted into spasms of pain that seemed to pinch every nerve cell in her body, hurling seizures of agony throughout her limbs, biting at every single pore in her skin. She couldn't even shriek with the anguish, twitching her jaw sent curls of hatred through her very bones. Instinctively, she froze, gasping for air, which seemed to be denied to her lungs.

She lay as still as possible, knowing to wait, until the first wave of pure agony passed. Panting, with beads of sweat gathered against her forehead, she attempted to look down at her body, and was quickly stopped by pure anguish within her bones. Closing her eyes tightly, she let her body relax slightly, wheezing. After another try, she managed to move her gaze, and gaped at her body.

Her outfit was torn into pieces, ragged at the ends, and was practically shredded into uselessness. Underneath each rip of her clothing, lay a thick, jagged wound, seeping blood that speckled her dry, pale skin. Her violet eyes widened in horror. Her body felt as if she had been stabbed with a thousand, tiny knives. None of the wounds were extremely deep. It was as if…

"So, you are awake." A voice cackled, the high pitched note straining against her ear drums, forcing all thoughts from her mind. Rukia bit her lip, while turning her gaze enough to stare on top of her. A huge shadow loomed, and she recognized an Adjuchas. Her eyes narrowed, and she fought to gain control of her hands, enough to excrete a single spell…

It was useless. She could barely speak, let alone move her limbs. As if sensing her silent howls of agony, the Adjuchas grinned down at her. At the tone, hollows began approaching, eyes wide, eager with hunger. However, they hung back. They may have caught the girl, but there was no way the Adjuchas was giving up the petite girl.

"Well, it seems I lost a bit of control."The thing hissed. "I meant to simply wound you a little bit, to wake you up, but the smell of blood was so… _tantalizing."_

Rukia would have cursed in despise against this creature, but could only grunt in pain, the simple sound sending torture through her body.

Laughing, the Adjuchas bent closer, his reeking breath hitting her face like a fresh slap. She immediately shrunk away from him, unable to stop a cough from hitting her throat. Her throat seized painfully, and she gasped as the wounds seemed to rip farther apart, bleeding even harder.

The Adjuchas hissed in pleasure. "Don't die on me, Soul Reaper." He whispered into her ear. "I'm just getting started. You haven't tasted a thing yet. We're going to tear you apart, before we eat you. They always tell us not to play with our food, but we're going to disobey that rule, just this wrong. It'll be our little secret, you won't tell anyone, will you?"

Rukia gawped at the Adjuchas, unable to say a thing, her voice torn from her throat. The Adjuchas grinned, and drove one of his thick claws into her arm.

That's when Rukia Kuchiki found her voice again, and screamed for all she was worth as the audible crunch of her bones slapped against the rocks, reverberating around them. The Adjuchas smirked before withdrawing his claws. Blood spurted from the wound, as a black and blue bruise began forming itself against the skin.

The Adjuchas licked the blood from his claws, and gave Rukia an evil smirk. "Oh, we're going to have fun, aren't we?"

* * *

The trees spread like distant ghostly fingers, screeching higher until they disappeared in the stygian darkness above. Ichigo was so busy looking up, wondering how tall these trees really were, he didn't notice the sudden pang of spiritual pressure, nor did he notice when Ashido skidded to a stop. So, as a result, for the second time that day, Ichigo practically face planted into the maroon haired man, stopping only just in time.

While Ichigo was raging silently within his brain, Ashido was frozen, as if all strength had been sapped from his body. Moments ago, he felt her spiritual pressure spike to the point of a nearly crushing effect, bearing down upon him like the weight of a thousand souls, screaming for a way out. He clutched his hands into tight fists, as his jaws clenched. What the hell were they doing to her?

He was too far away to hear her scream, and not close enough to smell the blood. Nor could he see the Adjuchas laughing with pleasure at it tortured her, stabbing her over and over again, until her arms were practically bloody pulps. In the future, he'd be glad those creatures were so stupid, so they didn't end up doing anything worse to her.

However, if he had been around to hear her scream, or smell her blood, or see the Adjuchas, he would have lost any sanity that had remained intact over his years in this ugly, atrocious forest. He would have been seeing red, and destroying anything in sight, while Ichigo hid in the back corner like the little pussy he was. (A/N: I don't, in any way, think of Ichigo as a pussy. I just thought it'd be funny. Don't kill me. In fact, Ichigo's one of the biggest bad asses on the show.) However, since Ashido wasn't close enough, all he could do was contemplate what was happening, while his mind tried to register what it meant as her spiritual pressure grew and withdrew, while pain seemed to be stabbing at him.

His heart began to pound. He had waited _too damn long_ for a moment like this. He had stranded himself in this place, and when Rukia came, she saved him from it. She saved his soul from condemning itself to a fate that no soul reaper deserved. He'd be damned before he ever let anything happen to his Rukia. Yes, _his_ Rukia. When he got her back, he would swallow her in his arms and never let her go. Everyone else could go to hell, Rukia was his.

However, he wasn't doing anything by standing in this forest making invisible claims. He felt Ichigo's curious eyes on his back, but if the orange haired man had said anything, Ashido hadn't paid attention, nor had he really even cared. Ichigo wasn't the one who mattered that much right now.

Ignoring the carrot top behind him, Ashido waved his hand in a small apology, before taking off, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake, along with a confused man, who used a few seconds to comprehend what happened before sprinting off after Ashido, muttering profanities under his breath.

* * *

"Captain Kuchiki! We have received reports informing us that neither Rukia nor Kurosaki have returned from Hueco Mundo. In fact, they seem to have disappeared into the Menos Forest."

Byakuya sat at his desk, forcing annoyance back down his throat. He had asked one of his subordinates to find out where Rukia was, and when the man couldn't find her, he panicked, and went to Kurotsuchi. How Byakuya hated that man with his arrogant speaking and high pitched squealing voice. Now, the news was probably spreading around Soul Society, which meant, before you knew it, Yamamoto would be declaring them traitors and ordering an execution.

He wasn't going to lie, he had a lot of respect for the old Captain Commander. However, Byakuya would never again sit and watch as his sister was ordered to death. He had been forced to do that once, and when confronted by Ichigo, he had been in turmoil for days. He was pressed to recognize that Rukia was not Hisana, and never would be. They looked alike, and both were extremely stubborn, but the similarities really ended there. Rukia was tough and uniform, while Hisana was gentle and not afraid to wrap people around her delicate fingers. Rukia was obedient, and would plunge herself into battle and into dangerous positions to save her friends. Hisana was anything but obedient, and never found herself in situations like that. Most of the time, she was around the Kuchiki Manner, or searching for her little sister.

Snapping himself out of his thoughts, he addressed the subordinate, who was shifting slightly at Byakuya's insisting silence. "I understand. You are dismissed."

He heard the scrabbling of feet accompanied by the door slamming shut as the man scrambled as fast as he could out of the stifling air and outside, where workers would accompany out of the mansion. One thing Byakuya didn't want to do was to run into him later, simply because he got lost.

He stared down at the paperwork mound on his desk. Reports were pulling in faster than he could sign them off after the Aizen thing. Soul Society was practically in chaos. Hollows that had been pulled together before now barely knew what to do. They were coming to Soul Society in hoards, and although none were powerful enough to call on the attention of the captains, and barely the lieutenants, there were enough to cause discord.

To top it all off, he hadn't even finished the Aizen reports, and Rukia still wasn't back. When he had entrusted her to Ichigo, he had expected her to return soon. Not to be in the Menos Forest long enough to draw attention from the authorities. He didn't have time to take a trip to the Menos Forest. He had enough to do.

Yet, he knew, if Yamamoto decided to raise charges, he would have to be the one to see her name cleared, even if it meant rescuing that punk. He set his mouth in a thin line. That was on his list of one of the last things he wanted to do, which, if you looked at his whole list, was a lot longer than you'd expect it to be.

Feeling frustration grow in the pit of his stomach, he gave up trying to focus on his work. Smoothly and fluidly, he raised himself to his feet, stretching each muscle that was sore from sitting. He didn't think it was possible, but his body was cramped and pained by staying there so long. However, if he learned anything from Hisana, he learned that to calm any raw nerves took a walk around the manor, outside. The sound of fish flapping against the cool waters while the cherry blossoms shed beauty always relaxed him.

The sun was bright and warm, while a thin breeze blew ripples across the ponds. It passed lightly through his black hair, whirling the raven colored locks around his shoulders, brushing light strands against his cheeks. However, even as his thoughts swam with Rukia, he felt something slightly amiss.

The sound of someone giggling, with an annoyingly high pitched voice, snapped through his thoughts. He narrowed his eyes, and cast his dark gaze towards his left. His irritation piqued as he walked through the luxurious gardens, his feet clicking smoothly against the concrete while he rounded the corner, and practically sighed in anger.

In one of the gardens, surrounded by cherry blossoms, a huge ditch had been dug. However, that wasn't what irritated him the most. In the middle of the ditch, a large bosomed, strawberry blonde lieutenant and a short, child like, pink haired lieutenant were arguing (quietly) as they fought over a large piece of paper.

"No! No! No! No! NO! The stairs go on THAT side! You're holding the instructions wrong!" Rangiku Matsumoto yanked the paper from Yachiru's hands, and the pink haired girl began pouting.

"I was not, the stairs go over THERE!" Yachiru jumped up and down, grappling against the air to get the paper, but Rangiku was hopelessly taller.

"The stairs don't go anywhere." Byakuya's voice floated over them, making both of the woman freeze. Rangiku turned nervously towards Byakuya, and offered him a fearful smile.

"O… oh… Captain Kuchiki!" She exclaimed, as if seeing him in his own garden was the strangest thing in the world, not the fact that she and Yachiru were attempting to build a pool in his manor… _again._

"Do you mind telling me what you're doing?" His voice was frigid, but Yachiru seemed unfazed. She leapt upwards, snatching the paper from the shivering Rangiku.

"We're building a pool!" Yachiru exclaimed excitedly, leaping up and down. "We decided that everyone needed a break after what happened, so we decided to build a pool!"

Byakuya glanced slightly at Yachiru, but didn't address her. Instead, he directed his death glare towards Rangiku, who was giggling softly. "Does Captain Hitsugaya know you're out here instead of completing paper work that he's most likely given to you?"

Rangiku jumped at that. "Erm… well… he knows I'm not in the office?" The statement sounded more like a question as the busty woman scratched the back of her head. She waited for Byakuya to say something, but when he was silent, she felt shivers up her spine.

Byakuya felt something lurch in his chest, as he briefly wondered what Rukia would say if she saw this happening. Would she leap in to try and help them figure out how to work the pool, or would she get mad at them for ruining her brother's best view of the cherry blossoms?

He felt Rangiku blinking at him, and he snapped out of his reminiscing. He turned his cool gaze towards her, and hissed. "I suggest, Lieutenant Matsumoto, that you return to your office. Same with you, Yachiru."

"But…" Yachiru began, until Rangiku snatched the girl's sleeve, tugging nervously as the pink haired girl whined in protest.

"Yes, Captain Kuchiki, we'll just leave." Rangiku chirped, her face somewhat twisted in fear if her captain found out where she was... "So long, Captain Kuchiki!" She saluted smartly, before dragging Yachiru into another secret door.

Byakuya made a mental note to have it destroyed later.

* * *

Rukia struggled as blood got caught in her throat. She threw her head from side to side, trying to cough it out. Her struggles were weakening as the red liquid poured mercilessly from her wounds. The fact the Adjuchas had its hand firmly place on her chest, beginning to crush her ribs, wasn't helping.

The Adjuchas cackled as it pushed down harder. An audible crack echoed throughout the cave. Rukia cried out in pain weakly, just managing to cough out blood that splattered against her chin and cheeks. Her robes were torn, her hair was matted with dried blood, and her pale white skin was nearly dyed red. The Adjuchas stepped back, to admire his handiwork. With his foot removed, Rukia's chest heaved for every shaking breath, making small sounds of pain at the back of her throat as her body shuddered with agony.

Outside, a hollow began to call a warning, before it was cut off with a screech of pain. The Adjuchas turned quickly, hissing angrily. "Who is-"

He was cut off by more screeches from the hollows. The Adjuchas slithered forward, before peering outside. _Those two brats!_ It screamed silently as Ichigo's enormous blade sliced through a hollow's neck, while Ashido's sword tore through another hollow's face.

Ashido looked upwards, catching the Adjuchas's eyes as it hissed and retreated. Probing, he sense Rukia's spiritual pressure. It was weak, but alive. With a roar of fury, he flash stepped into the cave, leaving Ichigo to deal with the minor hollow.

He stopped in shock, as he was met with Rukia's condition. Black and purple bruises were forming against every part of her skin. Blood poured from wounds, staining her robes, as she fought for breath. Her eyes were closed, lacking the energy or the will power to open them.

Ashido felt himself seeing red, as he gripped the hilt of his blade so hard, his fingers began to bleed. He didn't notice as he charged the Adjuchas, unleashing fury onto the monster.

* * *

Yeah I know. You guys are going, we waited all this time for this pathetic excuse of a cliffhanger? WTF? Maybe not exactly like that, but pretty damn close.

Yeah, I'm sorry. I've been distracted, and truthfully, I hadn't any inspiration for this story. So I sort of plowed through this, in hopes that the next chapter will be better. I'll get working on it.

Please review, it makes me feel good.


	6. Five Stages of Death Until Acceptance

Alright, this is practically the last chapter, and by practically, I mean that there's this one, and the next one, and then that's it. It's over. Deal with it. I'm done, I need to move on. I don't know how people can make stories that are thirty chapters long, because after ten, I'm tired of it.

Those who do make thirty chapter stories, bravo, because I don't have that type of patience. Speaking of which, sorry that this chapter is a bit shorter, I just found myself not wanting to beta read it. Whoopsy. So if there are mistakes, shove it, I don't care.

Anyways, I'll try to finish this up fast. I hope they're in character… yadda yadda… might be ooc… blah blah blah… disclaimer… oogity boogity.

Yeah, Ashido might seem to go crazy in this, but honestly, I haven't seen enough of him to know how exactly he'd react extremely pissed off. So I assumed. Deal. Oh, and I truthfully apologize if Ashido is ooc, I haven't watched his episodes in quite a while…

Enjoy!

* * *

Twice in his life, Ashido had experienced pure fury. The first time, his muscles had sagged with pure exhaustion, as he had defended his friends from the hollows. However, when he had seen his last friend's head pierced by a hollow's claws had changed everything. His fatigue melted away, and pure rage had taken over all of his senses. His body was pulsing with anger, and even the hollows squealed with anger as he took their lives without tiring. Not until they were all gone. Not until he was allowed to mourn their lives.

Now, as he saw Rukia, passed out and gushing blood against the ground, something inside him froze. His heart wasn't breaking, far from it. It was pounding so hard he thought his chest was going to explode or give out. He gripped his sword so tight his fingers began bleeding, forcing him to slacken his hold just the tiniest bit.

Any sense of restraint fell and deteriorated. All he could see was the Adjuchas's grinning face, its claws raised as it planned on grabbing Rukia.

The Adjuchas never used that arm again.

The blood wasn't fast enough for the maroon haired man. His blade slipped through the creature's flesh like butter, and before he was sprayed by the red liquid, he was gone, standing protectively next to Rukia, his teeth bared in an almost animalistic snarl.

The Adjuchas let out an ear splitting screech, and from outside, Ichigo blinked, wondering what exactly was going on, but shrugged it off as he brought his sword down in a slicing motion, destroying another hollow and perhaps endangering the entire species. Although the day he saw Soul Society labeling hollows as endangered would be the day he took a direct post under Byakuya Kuchiki, just to see if he could piss the man off enough to kill him.

Blood splattered the walls, as the Adjuchas threw its head side to side. It fixed its cruel eyes on its target. No longer did it want to torture Rukia. He wanted to destroy this god damn man who had been slaying hollows for centuries on end. It was time to end it.

It lurched forward, slamming its fist into the rock hard enough to crush one of the boulders on the side. Ashido smirked, trying to keep the red on the edge of his vision from hampering his gaze. He braced his body, keeping his muscles stiff. The hollow leapt forward, screeching fury.

Ashido didn't waste time. He feigned to one side, fast enough to slide his sword upwards, cutting through the thing's hand. It howled in agony, snapping back its wrist and pulling the massive appendage away from Ashido. The maroon haired man held no satisfaction, nor any emotion on his face. Any anger or hatred he had there before had melted away, and was replaced with a stoic determination. The Adjuchas hissed, preparing for another attack, readying itself.

Ashido saw it on its face. The thing was actually thinking now, instead of attacking blindly. It couldn't just rush forward to kill Ashido. It had to prepare.

Subconsciously protective, he sidled closer to Rukia, eyeing the Adjuchas wearily. Keeping himself rigid, he cast a glance towards the girl.

From closer up, he could see the way the jagged wounds cut against her pale skin as black bruises formed on her face and limbs. He didn't noticed his knuckles turning white as he gripped the hilt tighter, but felt as his body began to throb with the intent to kill.

As if sensing this, the Adjuchas let out a howl of fury and charged Ashido. The man quickly blocked the attack, and sensed as the creature began to falter to one side. With a roar that matched the creature's, Ashido thrust his sword forward with his strength, pushing against the thing's arm. It hissed while it was forced backwards, the man's strength astonishing. He didn't stop, shoving, until the Adjuchas was trapped against the edge of the cave.

Trapped like an animal, the creature lashed out with its teeth, attempting to seek solace in the taste of his blood. Its teeth met the mark, and it grunted as the delicious metal liquid emptied into its mouth, filling its throat.

The man ripped his arm from the Adjuchas's grasp. He was beginning to breathe hard, while blood now dripped freely from the wound, making his grip on the hilt even more slippery. He wouldn't last long fighting this thing. He had to end it quickly.

The Adjuchas, sensing its advantage, lunged again, this time using its mouth as a main weapon. It clamped its mouth shut, but the man had launched himself out of the way. However, in doing so, he opened up an opening. The Adjuchas saw it.

Ashido felt his eyes widen and his grip tighten as the creature bolted towards where Rukia was, planning on using her body as a hostage… or maybe just as a meal. For the third time in his life, Ashido was gripped in pure fury. With a final howl, he launched forward. He forgot about the slipperiness of the sword, of his exhaustion, of his own wounds. His only focus was on the Adjuchas… and Rukia.

The thing didn't have time to register what happened. One moment, it was reaching out, clambering for Rukia's tiny, bleeding body. The next, a wound seemed to appear on its neck out of nowhere. It gasped for air, eying the laceration with suspicion, as if it were strange that he could even bleed.

It didn't have the voice, nor the ability to cry out as blood emptied itself from the creature's body, bathing the walls in the red liquid. This time, Ashido wasn't spared as his body was drenched in the gore. He felt his blade slip from his hands, while he absentmindedly clenched and unclenched his fists. Small wounds trickled blood, but it didn't sting.

He stumbled towards Rukia, more overcome in exhaustion than with blood loss. His vision was blurry, while his hearing was minimal. He knew for certain that if a hollow decided to attack at that moment, he'd practically be helpless. He wanted to close his eyes, curl up beside Rukia, and fall asleep. However, that wasn't an option.

Practically falling over her, Ashido stumbled next to her. Careful and gentle, he pulled her bruised and broken body into his arms. Conjuring up all of his strength, he mumbled a short kido spell. Instantly, a blue light emanated from his hands as he held it over her deepest wounds.

He watched in practical desperation as they fought to close. Slowly, painfully, the bleeding began to slow. Her breathing became more regular, albeit still shallow.

He studied her, as her bruises began to fade. He was sure his own hair was as matted and tangled with blood as hers was, but he doubted he looked quite that bad. He smirked, slightly, when he thought of how she would react if he told her that. Hopefully she'd have enough strength to rebuke him. That would make everything worthwhile.

A sudden pain made him glance at his left arm. Strips of flesh had been torn off where the Adjuchas had decided to try and make a meal out of him. Not that it mattered much, that was a wound easy to heal. What worried him now was his fading stamina. That fury had shaken him of his endurance, and now he had to force his eyelids to stay open as he sealed all the serious wounds. She still had a fine bruise underneath her right eye, and minor cuts here and there. Nothing too terrible, everything was fixable.

He pulled his hand away from the cut on her shoulder, and pulled her closer to his body. He pressed his nose into her hair, inhaling her deep scent, which was sweet despite the smell of blood. He closed his eyes, cradling her close, as he reassured himself that she was here. She was alive.

Rukia had never felt so warm. Even sitting on a beach, awhile ago, wrapped in the summer's heated rays with the sand against her skin, she had never felt so safe, so protected. It was like being wrapped in a blanket that didn't let go.

Her second thoughts made her realize how shallow her breathing was. Suddenly feeling asphyxiated, she attempted to take a deep breath. That was an immediate mistake, as pain slammed through her body full force. She erupted into a weak coughing fit, managing to hack up blood. She felt a hand, warm against her cheek. She slipped open a singular eye, and was met with the most beautiful sight she could have ever hoped for.

* * *

The hollows were panicking as they tried to flee from Ichigo's blade. He spared few, but let the rest scamper away. After all, he didn't want any complaints about the lack of hollows after Aizen's event.

That didn't mean he hadn't felt it though. Rukia's spiritual pressure dying, while Ashido's spiked, a couple of times, to an alarming rate. Yet, as the Adjuchas's presence suddenly waned, so did Ashido's. Not to the point of disappearing, but to where Ichigo instinctively knew it was over.

* * *

Byakuya had a head ache.

Not just a head ache, but for the first time, he contemplating taking medication for the few pounds of stress that managed to cuddle in right above his left eyebrow, accompanied by an annoyed eye twitch. Of course, that was only when he was alone. He'd never get the end of it from the elders if the infamous Byakuya Kuchiki had an incurable eye twitch.

"Are you saying you have no idea where my sister is?" His voice had dropped to a level that was dangerously low, even for the Kuchiki, while he tried to suppress his eye twitch. He was sitting, having tea, out beside his koi pond, (which was suddenly becoming very low on koi fish) when a member of his squad he had instructed to locate Rukia, had appeared with this unacceptable news.

The man swallowed nervously, feeling pure anger radiate from the older man. "W… well sir." He stammered. "Th… they've found her, but they aren't quite sure how to get to her."

Byakuya opened his eyes and sent a death glare to this man which began to drill holes in his head. "It's obvious, isn't it?" The man glowered, his stone gray gaze turning icier than normal. "Find an exit. Send a Hell Butterfly (A/N: I personally don't know if Hell Butterflies can be used like this, or if their names are capitalized, but for the sake of this story, deal with it. Please don't comment about it.) to them, so they can get out."

The man bowed deeply, trying to escape from the man's evil gaze. "Yes, captain!" He practically squealed, before bolting.

Byakuya sighed, and sipped his tea, before closing his eyes again. Now to solve the mystery of why his koi fish were disappearing.

Of course, as he heard the giggling of a certain pink haired lieutenant on the other side of the manor was a hint.

* * *

Ashido couldn't help but smile as her eyes opened, and she gazed upwards at him. Despite the fact her body was in pain, she couldn't help but try and snuggle deeper into his grip, feeling at home.

He raised his hand and brushed the pads of his fingers across her cheek. She leaned into the touch, and unconsciously let go of a breath she had been holding onto. Breathing was suddenly easier, as her body relaxed.

"You're really messed up, you know that?" He murmured to her gently, cupping her cheek in the palm of his hand. His face returned to a normal, stoic one, but she could see how his eyes shone, and the remains of a smile against his lips.

She poked him halfheartedly in the chest, still smiling. She planned on pulling back her hand, but changed her mind, and curled her little hand into a fist on his clothing, tugging slightly. "Your hair's redder than usual." She remarked, tiredly playful. However, as she said it, she realized it was true. His whole body was coated in drying blood, while his hair was, indeed, looking more like Renji's and less like Ashido's.

She gripped him tighter, suddenly worried. "Are you-"

"Hurt?" He cut her off quietly, in that soft voice of his. "You should have seen the other guy." He joked, ignoring as she jabbed at his chest slightly, in a gentle warning. He smirked, removing his hand from her cheek and curling his fingers around her own.

"I've got a minor wound on my arm." He admitted, absentmindedly plucking at her fingers with his own, still too exhausted to fully realize Rukia was okay, and they were both going to leave. "However, most of this blood isn't mine. It's the Adjuchas."

Rukia nodded slowly, shivering as she recalled the pain of being crushed under its claws. However, she was determined. She tugged at the sleeve of his other arm, until she saw the wound. Blood dripped from his other arms, somewhat dripping onto her neck. She could admit, though, that it wasn't extremely serious. The wound was long, but not deep, and had already clotted in most areas, causing it to scab. Still, she frowned.

"You'll need to get that check out." She persisted, still looking at it. To her surprise, Ashido chuckled lightly, shaking his head, as he pressed his knuckles into her cheek. "What?" She demanded.

"Here you are, you had broken ribs, bruising, you were bleeding to death, you look terrible-" She huffed at this, "-and you're worried about a flesh wound. You are something else, aren't you?" He looked at her gently, albeit curiously.

Rukia let herself blush lightly, but she wasn't letting him get off that easily. She reached upwards, almost having to lean (damn tall people) and mussed his own bloody hair. "And you killed that thing, only gaining a flesh wound." She murmured, suddenly tired, as she pressed herself closer into his chest.

Ashido couldn't help but smile softly, as her eyelids began to flutter close. He leaned down, hand cupping her cheek, and pressed his lips to hers, slowly and softly, tasting all of her sweetness, as she inhaled his musky scent.

He felt her wrap a small, skinny hand around the back of his neck, deepening the kiss. She felt her heart thaw as he held her close, protected, as she practically melted in his arms underneath his husky, admittedly well toned body. Of course, who wouldn't be well toned after living for years in that sort of place?

Ichigo opened his mouth, ready to call out Ashido's name, before suddenly stopping in mid step. Ten feet away, Rukia's frail body was wrapped in Ashido's strong arms, while the two engaged in a lip lock. Ichigo immediately scurried away, feeling hit face heat up. However, it wasn't in anger, as he had expected. Rangiku was always right when she accused him of being innocent, he'd simply deny it ferociously whenever she brought it up.

He peeked around the corner, and began to smirk. He wished he had a camera, Byakuya would have a field day if he knew Rukia was involved with a man he had yet to meet. Yet, perhaps the stoic man would feel a bit better if it wasn't Ichigo himself.

Ichigo didn't feel remorse, no jealousy. He had always known she had never exactly belonged to him. Hell, it was Rukia, she didn't belong to anyone! As if one person could every contain that. And if that one person was Ashido, Ichigo gave him his blessing, he didn't want to deal with the pain in the ass midget Soul Reaper with a habit of beating him up.

Taking in a deep breath, he called Ashido's name loud, to give him fair warning. He didn't want the two to get freaked out. Maybe one day he'd be able to get the snap shot of a life time, but not now. Yet that midget hadn't seen the last of him.

Both Ashido and Rukia jumped as Ichigo's coarse voice called them. She simply smiled softly, the blush settling from her cool cheeks, as she rested her head against his chest. Ashido closed his eyes, letting her feel his heartbeat, before stumbling to his feet. He had to wobble for a moment, waiting for his brain to adjust after a rush of blood to his head made him black out momentarily. Yet, he was strong. Breathing in deeply, and secretly thankful that Rukia was extremely light, he stepped, lighter than he felt, out of the cave.

Ichigo hid his smirk underneath a scowl, but it broke slightly when he saw the two of them together. He contemplated bringing something up, but one look from the exhausted looking Ashido changed his mind. Instead, Ichigo ran a hand through his spiky hair.

"Well, we got her." He growled. "Where's this exit I'm so excited to hear about?"

Ashido swore mentally. Of course, he didn't find out where the exit was, and he couldn't trudge through the forest for forever. He'd either tire out or they'd be attacked by another Ajduchas's formation, which they didn't have the strength for. Ichigo's smirk melted back into a scowl, which was deeper than normal.

"This is damn ridiculous." He snapped, somewhat seething. "Could we get a little help here?" He seemed to yell at no one in particular. Ashido doubted that would do much for their situation, but didn't say anything. It was hard enough holding onto Rukia without passing out, let alone getting in a fight with the orange haired man.

Yet, it seems that Byakuya's efforts were not wasted. Through the darkness slipped a darker, fluttering object. Ichigo squinted through the trees, grasping at his sword, not sure if it was a friend or foe. That was, until it neared, and the man felt like jumping for joy, a trait which was much unlike him.

"A Hell Butterfly?" He questioned, holding out his hand. The creature complied, landing delicately upon his finger tip.

Ashido tightened his grip on Rukia, waiting as Ichigo received the message, before the butterfly turned and fluttered away, somewhere into the unknown.

Ichigo turned, smirking at Ashido. "It seems as if Rukia's brother wants us back." He said. "Come on, I know the way out."

Ashido followed Ichigo. They walked slowly, mostly for the man's benefit. Ichigo offered to carry Rukia, but Ashido couldn't let her go. Not that he was afraid Ichigo would take her, it was just he couldn't comprehend letting her go after what happened. He didn't want her to fade away.

During the end of their walk, Rukia's eyes opened, and peered upwards. Ashido met her gaze, all kindness in his gaze. She smiled, content and calm, before closing them again, her breathing matching his, as with their heart rates.

He pressed her further into his arms, holding her tighter. He watched the trees shift with the groans of hollows, while their hunger lurked in the background.

_Bring it on._ He hissed mentally, to no one in particular. _You're not taking her from me._

_She's mine.

* * *

_

Hm, somewhat possessive, eh?

Ah, well, I'm excited it's practically over! For anyone who is curious, I will be writing an epilogue, after I update Soul Business. If you like Ichi/Ruki as well as Ashido/Ruki than check it out, you'll like it.

Anyways, thank you for all your guys' support. I know this pairing isn't very big, but most people have been kind enough to review, and kept be writing, even when I really didn't want to. I liked how this story turned out, and I'm just happy that everyone has been urging me on. It's awesome.

**BUT WAIT! WHAT IS THIS AMAZINGNESS? HAVE I FINALLY (ALMOST) FINISHED THIS STORY? CAN IT BE TRUE? IT IS!!! ONLY THE EPILOGUE IS LEFT, AND LET'S FACE IT, IT'S NOT REALLY THAT IMPORTANT! BUT I'LL WRITE IT ANYWAY! (EVENTUALLY, DON'T EXPECT IT SOON)**

Ha! Take that world! I PWNED you!!

Now, to focus on my new story, anyone who is interested. Anyone? At all? HELLO?!

Please review, it'll make me happy, and the epilogue shall come sooner. Whoot! I'm celebrating!


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